Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.

A/N: Thank you so much to my beta, Heather! (Bookgurrrl)

A/N2: Sectionals was amazing! I loved it! This story is mostly AU after Mash-up, but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes, I may sneak in a conversation or cover the same topic, but I will put my own twist on it.

A/N3: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

...

When Ethan met with his new boss in early May, he was sworn in, issued his badge and ID and after a Saturday at the police department's rifle range just outside of town, he qualified on the weapons he would be using. Since he left Detroit SRT, he had to return his weapons, but LPD issued him new weapons, a brand new handgun and a Colt M16A2 fully-automatic rifle, the primary firearm for any SWAT team member. Ethan's new job was similar to what he did in Detroit, but it was on a part-time, 'as needed' team basis, so the members, Ethan included, will be regular cops in town and 'on-call' in case anything came up, because he will be heading up the SWAT team, which also includes hostage negotiations (SWAT/HNT); now all Ethan was waiting for was his start date; the first Monday in August, but he planned to be meeting with his team members prior to that and at least get to know them some before he came in for good.

With Puck wanting to learn to shoot, Ethan figured he'd take him after school got out, before they started working on the new house together; which was something he'd been working on since the day they got the keys and the paperwork was finalized.

The week after the Glee Club's concert was the final week of school and as Friday rolled around, Ethan had spent the morning digging out his gun cabinet from the garage and cleaning the guns he planned to take the next day. The last day of school meant the kids were only there until eleven; long enough to make sure their final assignments and books were turned in and their lockers were cleaned out. Knowing they'd be home soon, Ethan went into the house to make lunch, he found Quinn watching TV and Abigail asleep, so he headed into the kitchen, and as he tugged a soda from the fridge, something on the calendar caught his eye so he moved closer to it and focused on what the thick black circle was surrounding and as he read the words, his eyes widened and he took a deep breath.

Thoughts and memories flooded his mind and he quickly moved out to the back deck, taking a seat on the stairs, resting his arms on his knees and staring out into the green grass of the yard, "I haven't been able to celebrate that day for how long? Deborah and I finalized our divorce before it in '99 and its twenty-ten right now... That's eleven Father's Days I missed and now..." He smiled, but felt the tears in his eyes, "now I am back with my kids... I have a chance to be a dad again... And I'm a grandpa... I'm a stupid SOB for leaving in the first place, but... I'm so damn lucky. Deborah could have blown me off and I never would have had the chance... God, I love her..." He wiped his eyes, "I screwed up big time, but she gave me a second chance... I didn't deserve it, but I still had to try and she took me back..." He took a shaky breath and wiped his eyes again, for the first time since the broken pieces from his life had been put back together; he was finally letting go.

He had been so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't hear the door open or someone coming out until he noticed his son sitting down next to him, "what's wrong?" Puck asked noticing his dad wiping his eyes again.

"Wrong? Nothing," Ethan admitted closing his eyes for a moment, "just thinking."

"About what?" Puck asked a little concerned; Ethan had been fine that morning and Quinn said he'd spent the time since they'd left in the garage and just came inside and she heard the patio door open so she assumed he was in the backyard, so he didn't expect to see his dad sitting the way he was, crying.

"How I'm a damn lucky your mom, you and your sister gave me a second chance," he said softly, "I noticed Father's Day is circled on the calendar and I realized that while I have been a biological father for the past eleven Father's Days, I haven't been a dad to either of you. After what I did, I would have understood if your mom or you had not wanted me around, but... I'm so glad we all worked things out," he admitted.

Puck put a hand on his dad's shoulder and nodded, "people change and mom saw you had and realized you truly were sorry for leaving, I'll admit when I first heard about you two talking, I was pissed, but more than anything, I was hurt that she hid it from me. Hiding it from Arin, I can understand, but from me? Sure she knew I'd fly off the deep end, and I kind of did when you called my phone, but if that hadn't happened, we might not be here right now, so I'm glad things worked out the way they did," he assured him, "because I got my daddy back," he smiled, calling him what he used to when he was a kid. "Come on, no crying," Noah added, nudging him.

Ethan looked at his son and smiled, "you're gonna make a great dad, Noah," Ethan replied, wiping his eyes again and standing up.

"I hope so," he admitted, standing up and wrapping his arms around his dad.

"You will," Ethan said, "thanks for the pep talk," he whispered as they hugged.

"Welcome," Puck smiled.

...

After breakfast on Saturday, Ethan and Puck were getting ready to go to the range.

"I don't like this, Noah," Rachel admitted, holding Abby with one arm as she watched him change clothes.

"Rachel, I'll be fine," he told her, "I will be with dad; I won't get hurt."

"That doesn't mean I can't worry about it," she commented, sitting down on the bed, "I don't like guns or violence."

"I know, Rachel, but I need to know this," he replied, buckling his belt.

"Why now?" She questioned, biting her lip.

"Because I want to have a chance to learn this on my own time instead of being forced to learn. I don't want my first time I hold a gun to be at boot camp," he said honestly. "It's win-win for both of us. Dad and I get to share some quality time together, he gets to teach me how to shoot and I get to learn something from my dad; something I missed out on a lot when he wasn't here."

Taking a deep breath, she stood up, crossed the room to him and slipped her free arm around his waist, "just be careful," she requested, looking up at him.

As much as Puck wanted give her a little sarcasm to tease her, he also realized why she was so upset, so he pressed a kiss to their daughter's head and then kissed his girlfriend and hugged her, "I will be," he promised, "I love you both," he murmured against her lips.

"We love you, too," Rachel replied resting her head on his chest.

...

"And we need to put that there, wait, no... Finn," Quinn stared at the instructions and pondered what it said.

"Quinn, this is heavy!" Finn snapped staring at his girlfriend before looking at Carole, Deborah, Arin and Rachel.

"I'm sorry, but it's not like I've ever put a bar-b-q together before. I don't even know what half of these instructions mean," she stared at the instructions again and then nodded, "yes, that does go there," she added.

Finn sat back on his knees; he was currently the only one with testosterone in the group of women and he was being forced into putting a bar-b-q grill together that Rachel and Deborah had gotten and had been hiding in Deborah's trunk for the past week so it wasn't found, "why can't we just wait until Ethan and Puck get back? Or call Alan or David or Burt? Seriously, this takes more than one guy to do this."

"Because this is a Father's Day present for them," Deborah laughed, "we needed a new grill and Noah likes to bar-b-q in the summer."

Realizing he had four women glaring at him, Finn sighed, "what next?" He asked realizing he wasn't going to get out of it, or get any help.

Content that the teens had the grill under control, Carole and Deborah walked down to the Hudson's house to retrieve Burt's pick-up so they could go get the backyard furniture that Deborah had on hold at the store. Once the women were on the way, Deborah glanced over at Carole, "so, you and Burt seem to be getting closer," she commented.

They had known each other just as long as the boys had; Carole and Finn had moved into the house they are still living in, just before the boys started kindergarten, and literally met on the first day of school while at the bus stop. "Yes we are," Carole admitted, "but I don't know what it means. We enjoy being around each other, so that's a good thing; and Kurt and Finn seem to get along and Kurt seems to like me and I know Finn likes Burt."

"You don't have to know what it means, but if you like each other and the boys get along with each other and you guys, then things are going great," Deborah replied.

Carole nodded, "I suppose you're right. I just don't want Finn to think I'm trying to replace his father or Kurt to think I'm trying to take over for his mom," she added.

"I don't think they feel that way. I can understand where you're coming from, but they're both old enough to understand you're not," Deborah assured her.

"Thanks," Carole smiled at her, "but actually, um, I never told you this, but Finn was... When he and Noah first met, Finn liked Ethan; I think it was the first time he'd been around an older guy, and then when Ethan left, he was pretty upset. Now that Ethan's back, I think... I'm not sure, but I think Finn feels that Ethan is his dad, in some ways."

"Why didn't you ever say something?" Deborah questioned shock evident on her face.

"Because you had a lot going on; you were dealing with Noah, pregnant with Arin, trying to work and fix your family, you didn't need any more stress," Carole admitted.

"Wow," Deborah sat back in the seat, "I kind of always thought that; I mean it was only about six months before Ethan filed for divorce, but Finn and Noah were inseparable and Ethan was always watching them, so I guess in the back of my mind, knowing you and what happened I wondered, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it or he hid it well, so I never asked. "Has Finn said anything now about him being back?"

"Yes, a few times. He's really happy, but is afraid to say much because he doesn't want Noah to think he's trying to take his dad."

Deborah smirked, "those two are brothers; they can share. I think Ethan has five children right now; Noah, Arin, Rachel, Finn and Quinn; and a granddaughter in Abby," she added.

...

Father and son spent the afternoon at the gun range. Ethan started out by showing Puck the basic safety measures for a gun and then got him using a handgun. He seemed to catch on pretty quickly and before long they were competing to see who had a better shot.

Taking his ear protection off, Ethan glanced at his watch, "wow, we've been here four hours already. I'm under strict orders to be gone at least six," he safetied the gun he had in his hand and looked at his son.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Puck responded with a grin. "Why do we have to be gone for six?"

Ethan looked at his son, "I have no clue, but I'm sure it has something to do with tomorrow being Father's Day."

Puck smiled, setting the gun down on the small table and looked at Ethan, "not only do I have my dad back, I have two fathers-in-law and I am a dad," he commented, "this is awesome. I never thought I'd ever be a father," Puck admitted.

"Really?" Ethan removed the empty magazine from the gun he had been using and started cleaning things up to leave.

"I never thought anyone would see me like Rachel does. She broke through my walls and got me to see Noah, not Puck. Now she's the mother of my daughter and I don't want to let her go," he smiled, thinking of his girlfriend.

"You won't have to," Ethan told him zipping up the bag he had his gear in and motioned for his son to come along, "she's with you for life," he admitted, "I see it and so does your mom."

"I think I do, too," he replied with a smile, "and I want to be with her forever."

Ethan patted his son on the shoulder, "smart, very smart," Ethan told him, "and I hope you learned from my mistake."

"No offense, but yeah, I have. I'd never leave her like that."

"Good," Ethan nodded and the two continued out of the range area and checked out.

"Well, if it isn't Ethan Ballard as I live and breathe," a man about forty-five to fifty years of age said as the two stepped from the counter.

Ethan stopped in his tracks, "Logan Anderson?" He asked recognizing the man.

"Yeah; wow, I haven't seen you in years," Logan replied stepping forward.

The two men shook hands, "yes, it has been a long time; you left Detroit, what? Five or six years ago?"

"Six. So what are you doing down here in Lima, Ohio, with a student of mine?" Logan commented glancing at Puck.

"Student of yours? What?" Ethan looked at his son.

Puck's mouth fell open from shock, "he's my criminology teacher at school," he replied, "you know him?"

Logan nodded, "yeah, who else taught him how to be on the SRT?" Logan laughed.

Ethan laughed, "This is my son," he patted Puck on the shoulder.

Logan eyed the two, "yes, I can definitely tell," he admitted, "but you have different names."

"My wife and I weren't married at the time when Noah was born so we gave him her maiden name," Ethan explained.

"Okay, but I thought you grew up here," Logan looked at Puck.

"I did, dad left mom when I was six and a half, they just got back together again," Puck admitted.

"Oh, I see, so you left SRT and came back down here?"

Ethan nodded, tugging his t-shirt up enough to show the shiny new Lima Police Department badge, "yeah, just got sworn in about a month ago as a lieutenant, but won't officially start until August second. I'm taking over the SWAT/HNT team when their lieutenant retires."

Logan studied him and smiled, "SRT lost a fine officer, but Lima sure lucked out," he commented.

"Thanks," Ethan smiled at him, "it feels good to be home," he added, "so I would have taken anything to come back, but to get this position, I lucked out in more ways than one."

"Um," Puck looked between them, "just how do you guys know each other?"

"Logan was team leader when I was a rookie. Only there for a few years, then went up to captain and got his Masters in Criminology and left us working men to teach," Ethan laughed.

"Hey, I figure if I start earlier on the fresh new minds of young ones, I won't have some stubborn punks tryin' to be show offs... Oh wait, that was you and Mike Adams. I think you two gave me the gray hair," Logan retorted with a laugh, "and you getting shot on my watch wasn't easy either," he added.

"No, it wasn't," Ethan admitted, "and I'm so telling Mike you said that; he took over SRT when I left," he grinned.

Logan chuckled, "you do that," he turned to Puck, "I saw your name on the second year criminology class roster, it'll be good to have some talent in there," he said.

"Thanks," Puck smiled, "yeah, it was a class I really wanted to take; one of my favorites."

"Great," Logan smiled. "I won't keep you guys any longer, I'm sure you have things to do, but it was good seeing you again, Ethan. Puck, I'll see you in September."

The three men shared 'goodbyes' and shook hands before Puck and Ethan continued outside. Ethan stowed his gear in the back and got into the driver's seat, "wow, it's a small world. I knew he got a job offer to teach, but didn't know where."

"He works at OSU's Lima Campus. He teaches morning and night classes in criminology and then teaches at McKinley; this year it was only first year criminology, but next year there will be a first and second year class," Puck explained.

"You couldn't be learning from a better guy," Ethan admitted, "taught me a lot, even if it was just for a short time."

...

It was too late for lunch, but not time for dinner yet, so Ethan called home and found out they hadn't started dinner, so finding out that Carole, Quinn and Finn were over, Ethan and Puck chose to stop and get some pizzas before heading home.

Pulling into the driveway, they noticed nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, so they slid out and collected the pizzas from the back seat and headed up to the house, curious as to why they had to be gone so long.

Rachel had been upstairs putting Abby down for a nap when she heard them come home and couldn't wait to see her boyfriend; she had been worried all day and wanted to know how things went, so as soon as Abby was down and the baby monitor was in her hand, she headed downstairs and found him in the kitchen, "Noah!" She grinned.

"Hey baby," he smiled and wrapped his arms around her as she got near him.

"How was your day?" She asked curiously.

"Great. I had fun," he replied, kissing her lips.

She smiled into the kids, "I'm glad."

"He's a natural," Ethan commented from where he was leaning against the counter next to Deborah.

"Dude, I'm coming next time. Don't leave me in the 'Estrogen Ocean' again!" Finn exclaimed.

Thankfully, everyone took what he said as a joke and began laughing, "dude, where did you hear that?" Puck asked.

"Jeff Foxworthy, and it sure fit today! Oh my God," Finn muttered, staring at the floor.

Ethan and Puck exchanged glances, but chose not to press the subject, figuring they'd find out soon enough what the problem had been.

Digging into an early dinner, the family sat around in the dinning room or living room eating and talking; carrying on as they had many times before. As dinner ended, Carole, Finn and Quinn went back to the Hudson's, promising they'd see them the next day.

When Abby cried, Puck was the one to go get her, changing her diaper and bringing her downstairs to be with her family, she settled right down once she had been changed and was snuggled up in her dad's arms with her mom near.

As the evening came to a close, Arin, Deborah and Ethan headed up to bed and Puck and Rachel got Abby bathed and changed for the night before laying her back down in her crib, the couple finally getting a moment together. Closing the door behind him, Puck wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, "I love you," he murmured.

Rachel relaxed in his arms, "I love you, too," she replied, her arms resting around his waist.

Looking into her eyes he pressed a kiss to her lips, "I couldn't be happier than I am right now. I'm sure I've told you that before, but I mean it. I love you and our daughter, and I am the luckiest guy in the world."

She smiled at him, "then I'm the luckiest girl," she replied, reaching up to kiss him again, "because I feel the same way."

He shifted slightly to lift her up and guided them back to the bed, laying her down and crawling on top of the covers next to her, "I'm really glad you do," he whispered, capturing her lips again as one of his hands brush against her hair before settling against her cheek.

One of Rachel's hands joined his on her cheek as their kiss continued; Rachel trying not to melt as his touch sent bolts of lightening through her body.

Pulling away, he pressed his forehead against hers, "we should probably get into bed," he murmured.

"Only if you promise to continue," she replied with a smile.

"Promise."

...

Abby woke them around six, but it was too early to get up, so Rachel brought Abby into their room after she'd been changed and Puck took her, shifted slightly so he was on his back, his head comfortable on the pillows, propped up slightly and then laid his daughter against his chest, her on her stomach, and smiled, "there we go," he murmured.

"Noah, is that safe?" Rachel asked skeptically.

"Yes, it is," he reached to tug the blankets back over them, "as long as I don't roll over."

Rachel gasped, "Noah, that's not even something to joke about!"

"Relax babe, she'll be fine," he smiled, "now go back to sleep," he whispered, letting his eyes drift closed.

Taking a deep breath, she eyed him a moment and then saw Abby's eyes closed, her small hands resting against his t-shirt covered chest, fingers holding onto the fabric gently. Content that she was okay, Rachel scooted closer to them and slipped her arm around his waist and closed her eyes, letting her body drift back to sleep.

...

Deborah had gotten up around eight and was heading downstairs to start coffee when she passed Puck and Rachel's room and glanced in, expecting to see the two in bed like normal, but as she looked in this time, she smiled, seeing her granddaughter laying on her dad's chest and her mom curled up right next to them, "oh, where's the camera?" She thought glancing carefully around and noticed it on his desk, so she carefully tiptoed into the room, turned it on and snapped a few pictures of the small family before replacing the camera and stepping out of the room, but turned back and grinned at the sight before continuing back to what she had been going to do.

Rachel faintly heard footsteps, but didn't think too much of it, so she continued to lay with her boyfriend, slowly opening her eyes to see Puck and the little girl he had on his chest. Smiling, she leaned forward to press a kiss to their daughter's cheek before moving to kiss her boyfriend.

"Hum, I could wake up to that more often," Puck murmured as she pulled away.

Rachel grinned, "Happy Father's Day," she whispered moving back to press a kiss to his lips again.

He smiled, "thanks," he replied looking at Abby who had started to stir as they spoke. He turned to look at his girlfriend and smiled, "waking up to my girls makes it a happy day."

She felt a light blush grow on her cheeks as she sat up on her elbow to look at him, "I love you," she whispered, leaning towards him, her hand resting against his chest.

He shifted one of his arms and tugged her close to him, "I love you, too," he grinned pressing a kiss to her lips. "So what's going on today?" He asked curiously.

"Why would you think anything is 'going on'?" She asked with a giggle.

"It's Father's Day, and I know you love to plan things; and dad was told that we had to be gone at least six hours, so just what you were you doing?" He commented with a grin.

"Well, my dads, Finn, Carole and Quinn are coming over to have brunch just after ten, then later on Kurt and Burt are going to be coming over for dinner; Kurt said he and his dad have traditions for Father's Day, so they'll be over later," Rachel explained, sitting up all the way.

Puck carefully placed his hands on Abby's back and neck so when he sat up, he could shift her into his arms without jostling her too much. As he settled her in his arm, he wrapped his other arm around Rachel's back, "you didn't have to do anything, you know, right?"

She turned to look at him, "I know, but I wanted to," she said, "and it's for you and our dads; and our dads are grandpas now; it's a very special day."

He smiled and kissed her, "it is," he agreed.

...

The family slowly got up and ready for the morning, David and Alan arrived around nine-thirty and just before ten, Quinn, Finn and Carole came over. Carole, Quinn, Rachel, Deborah and Arin started working on brunch.

The guys were in the living room with Abigail and Finn was kicked back, "I could get used to this," Finn commented, "dude after yesterday I deserve it," he muttered.

Puck laughed, "Seriously, what did you do that got you so worked up?" He asked.

"I can't say," Finn admitted.

Ethan smirked, "so why say anything if you know we're only going to ask you why you're complaining?"

Deborah heard the guys talking, so she stepped into the living room, "why don't you guys go outside and find out," she suggested.

"There's nothing outside," Puck commented.

"Just go look," she laughed moving back into the kitchen.

Finn and the fathers got up and he led them out to the backyard. One of the things Ethan had done was extend the cement at the base of the stairs so it formed a patio in the yard, taking out a portion of grass, so they could eventually could put a bar-b-q and furniture out there.

"Oh wow," Puck muttered, seeing the matching table and chairs, the canopy over them with more chairs setting around the yard, matching the ones that went with the table, "you guys did this all yesterday?"

"Yep," Finn nodded, "The moms borrowed Burt's truck and while the girls and I put the bar-b-q together, our moms went to pick up the furniture. That's why you guys had to be gone so long; so we'd have time to put it together," he admitted.

"Bar-b-q?" Puck turned around and noticed the large grill sitting on the deck near them, currently under a gray cover to protect it, "wow, nice! We needed one; well, I wanted one," he laughed.

"I knew about the furniture, but not the bar-b-q and this is more for you and Rachel than it is for any of us," Ethan admitted patting his son on the shoulder before going down the stairs to take a seat in one of the chairs.

David and Alan followed Ethan and then Puck and Finn joined them, "but it's not technically our house yet," Puck said.

"But you live here and when your mom, sister and I move into our house, we won't take this stuff; it's for you guys and we'll be over enough anyway," Ethan commented.

"Us too," David added.

Puck looked at the two men that were pretty much is fathers-in-law, "good," he said with a smile, "I, um, didn't want you guys to think I was, um, taking your daughter from you," he admitted.

The two exchanged glances, "we don't think that," Alan told him truthfully. "We didn't expect our daughter to move out at sixteen, but it would have only been another two years before she'd be off to college somewhere, so we always knew we'd have to let go. At least this way we can stop over whenever we want," he explained.

"We wouldn't have let her move in if we didn't trust you and she's happy which is all we could ever ask for," David added.

Puck sighed in relief and nodded, "good, I'm... I'm glad you guys feel the way. I was worried," he admitted.

"Why don't you guys start coming over for dinner nightly; you come over once or twice a week as it is; no point; you're part of this family, too," Ethan added.

David and Alan exchanged glances and nodded, "that sounds like a great idea. When we're around you guys we eat healthier, so it's a win-win situation," Alan laughed.

...

The girls noticed that the guys were comfortable outside, so they moved brunch out to the table in the backyard. Sitting down in the various chairs, the family dug into their food and chatted lightly, Puck with his daughter in his arms. As he finished eating, he leaned back and looked at his family, "so what gives? All this?" He motioned his hand around the furniture.

"Ethan and I had always wanted to do this," Deborah admitted, "but since he left and then you and I never really had a chance to keep it up, I put it off. Now that Eth's got the yard fixed up and patio made, we figured it was a great time to do it. Since we're giving you guys the house, it would be a great gift to start you guys out with."

"Wow, thanks," Puck looked around, "it looks great."

Rachel smiled, "I picked out the pattern," she commented reaching out to take her boyfriend's hand.

He squeezed her hand and nodded, "great job, babe. I like it."

"Thanks," she replied.

Seeing that brunch was over, the girls cleaned off the table and as they came back outside, Quinn had her purse with her and Deborah, Arin, and Rachel came out with some things in their hands; all wrapped up so no one could see what they were. Rachel handed each of her dads their gifts and then set her boyfriend's on the table so he could hand Abigail to her. Deborah handed a similar package to her fiancée, but the one Arin had in her hand she kept for the moment.

The four men got pictures, but each ones were slightly different. Puck got two pictures; one with the frame saying 'Daddy and Me' and it was a picture of him and Abigail, and the other was 'Our Family'; a picture of him, Abigail and Rachel. For Ethan's, one of them was a 'Grandpa' photo with a picture of him and Abby and a family photo inside as well. David and Alan's pictures were the same idea; David's was one of him holding Abigail, and Alan's was him holding his granddaughter. Their other photo was a picture of the two dads and Rachel that had been taken at the big family reunion / birthday party a month prior.

They all really liked the pictures, already planning where they were going to put them. Deborah and Rachel still each had something in their hands, but wanted to wait. Deborah motioned to Arin, so she got up and moved to her dad, handing him the wrapped item. He pulled her up on his lap and opened it while she was there, seeing another picture frame, slightly larger than the ones that they had gotten, but as the paper came away and he balled it up, he looked at a collage of pictures and it didn't take long for him to realize what the theme was; Arin and Puck from the time he left to just before he came back into their lives. At the very top left corner was a picture of a very young boy holding a baby and he knew right away it was Puck, holding a newborn Arin. He blinked back the tears as he looked over the rest of the pictures seeing his kids growing up, reaching the bottom right where the final picture was, one of Puck and Arin, taken just after Puck and Rachel had gotten together. "Oh wow," he murmured, "this is amazing," he admitted resting his chin on his daughter's shoulder.

"We came up with the idea to give you a little glimpse of them growing up while you were gone," Rachel said softly.

Ethan smiled, "thank you," he looked at them, "this is... I haven't even looked at the photo albums yet, kind of been nervous too, but this is great," he focused on a few of Puck in his football uniform, then moved on to one of Arin on her brother's back, her arms around his neck. "I missed a lot," he whispered.

"But you're here now," Arin said turning to look at him.

"That I am," he smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek and hugging her.

Puck smiled, looking at his girlfriend, "you make it?"

Rachel nodded, "Deborah and I discussed it and she, Arin and I picked out pictures and I put them together," she admitted. "You were quite cute as a child."

"And I'm not cute now?" He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Whoa, write it on the calendar, Puck just suggested he might be cute," Finn laughed.

Puck glared at his friend, "dude, shut up."

Finn shrugged with a smirk on his face.

"You were cute as a child, but grew up to be a very handsome man," Rachel admitted seriously, looking at her boyfriend.

A smile tugged at his lips, "nice save, babe," he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"So what else you got there?" He asked noticing the file sitting in her lap.

"This is for my dads; your mom has yours and your dads," she replied, handing the gray folder over to her dads, at the same time Deborah handed Ethan a red folder.

Puck glanced across the table to his parents and as soon as his dad opened up the folder, he recognized what was on the front and then saw his dad's eyes widen, "you got us season tickets?" Ethan exclaimed in shock.

"Yep, we did," Deborah nodded, "we thought you and Noah deserved some father and son bonding time and you've always loved the Red Wings," she said.

"They're not for every home game in Detroit, but there are at least two games a month for the season," Rachel explained.

Ethan smiled, "this is great. What do you say Noah?" he asked looking at his son.

"I'm game," he grinned getting up and moving over to his dad to peak at the games they'd be going to, "looks like there's a game against each other team in the NHL," Puck admitted, "including the Columbus Blue Jackets," he laughed.

"I'm surprised you're not Blue Jackets fans," Finn commented with a grin, knowing it would rile up both of them.

"Uh no," both Ethan and Puck said at the same time, causing both of them to laugh, " 'The Red Wings' are the team," Puck commented with a smile, "I might not have admitted it before, but I keep up on hockey. Besides, a long time ago someone told me the only good team out there is the Red Wings," he added patting his dad on the shoulder. "It kinda stuck."

Ethan glanced up at his son and smiled, "you remembered."

"I did," Puck nodded with a smile.

"I remember that conversation," Finn admitted.

"I'm glad you do," Ethan nodded, "I told you both at the same time."

Finn nodded, "I remembered, I think, for another reason," he admitted nervously.

Ethan looked at Finn, "now you're nervous about it? I always thought of you as a second son. You and Noah were inseparable when you guys met. Still do, actually."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Ethan replied.

"Wow, cause I look up to you like a dad, too. When you came back, I was surprised, but thought it was pretty cool. I mean you're Puck's dad, but in a way it felt like you were my dad, too," Finn explained, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

"I suppose I could share," Puck sighed dramatically from where he was still standing next to his dad.

Carole and Deborah exchanged silent glances, their conversation from the day before coming back to their minds, but kept it quite.

Ethan smirked at his son and then looked at Finn, "you remember that I had a picture of you and Noah in my wallet, right?" Ethan asked, "back in February when I was showing you guys those pictures?"

"Well yeah, but I just thought it was because Puck was in the picture," Finn admitted with a laugh.

Ethan shook his head, "nope it wasn't," he said.

Puck glanced over to Rachel's dads, "so what did you guys get?" He asked curiously.

"Our traditional family vacation," David smiled glancing at Rachel.

"Huh?" Puck moved back over to his seat and sat down and took Abby when Rachel passed her to him.

"Every August we take a trip to New York City, and this year we didn't expect to be going," Alan admitted, "we didn't figure Rachel would want to go."

"Which I do," Rachel admitted with a smile, "it's been a tradition for a very long time and I understand I'm a mom now, but I still need time with my daddies," she looked at them, "so we're taking a week in early August and going to NYC."

"Why wouldn't she want to go?" Puck asked raising a curious eyebrow at them.

"Well, we didn't think she'd want to leave you or Abby for a week," David replied.

"Oh," Puck looked at Rachel, "we'll be fine. You need time with your dads."

"I know," Rachel blushed, "I was nervous at first, but I trust you all and I've already spoken with Deborah and she's assured me things will be alright... A lot of things have changed over the last year and one of the big ones is I moved out of their house at sixteen, so I don't see them everyday like I did before. We do see each other and talk on the phone, but it will be nice to spend some quality time with them."

"We always knew that you'd move out, but we figured after high school; so sixteen is a tad earlier than we expected, but only by a few years. It will be nice to get some more time with our girl. Not that we don't love being around you all, but she's our little girl, and she's growing up so fast," David said looking at her.

"You don't have to explain to us," Deborah said with a smile. "You have every right to spend time with your daughter."

Rachel smiled and got up, hugging both of her dads before retaking her seat.

Quinn tugged three small boxes from her bag and set them on the table, looking over at Alan, David and Ethan and smiled, "I think I've said this to you guys before, but I'm saying it again because I mean it. The three of you have been more like fathers to me than my real father ever was and I really am thankful to have met all of you. David, Alan, you two took me in and allowed me to move into your house while I was pregnant with your daughter's boyfriend's kid. I was a little nervous at first, knowing the reasons for why I was there, but soon that nervousness went away and I not only became good friends with Rachel, I got two more dads out of the deal, too," she smiled, moving over to them. They stood up and both hugged her before she handed each of them a small white box.

She smiled at them and nodded, before turning to Ethan, "when I first heard of you, Ethan, I was skeptical. Couples who break-up hardly ever get back together and I didn't know what to think, but as soon as I met you I saw how truly sorry you were for what you did and I realized you were a pretty cool guy. When I found out your history, I knew exactly what you felt because I'm there, too," she took a deep breath begging herself not to get emotional, "and then we were kidnapped. We got a chance to talk and we understood each other. If I had gone through that alone, I would not have made it. You saved my life and not just physically, mentally, too. You let me freak out, but you talked to me and kept me calm by telling me we'd be alright and then you protected me from getting hurt and I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough for that, but you didn't have to do that. I'm sure some of it came from being a cop and protecting your granddaughter, but I see you as another dad, not only for what you did then, but also because you get me and know what I'm going through and have given me advice about all of it and never told me what I have to do; you told me what I should do," Quinn smiled, "and I know this isn't a lot, but I thought it'd be something to say thank you," she said handing him the other box in her hand.

Ethan took the box from her and then stood up, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. As they pulled away he looked at her, "I see you as another daughter, too, and if you hadn't been pregnant and everything else still happened, I still would have done the same thing, Quinn, so don't think for a second that I did that just because you were pregnant with Abigail," he promised. "And you can always talk to me about anything, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, "thanks," she whispered, before stepping back to her seat.

Ethan retook his seat and pulled open the box and looked inside, seeing a metal amulet hanging from a black cord, but also had a key chain hook with it. The amulet is shaped like a hand with the five fingers stretched out, with various symbols and shapes on the palm and fingers, including a single eye in the palm. Arin was standing next to him, peeking inside, "what's that?" She asked curiously.

"It's a Hamsa," he replied, "I've only seen them, never had one," he admitted.

She noticed a character, "what's a Hamsa? It's got Hebrew on it."

"It's something like a Jewish good luck charm (1, 2, 3)," he replied. "Don't ask me what the letters mean because that's your mom's specialty," he added with a grin. "Thank you, Quinn," he nodded at her.

"You're welcome," she smiled, nodding at Alan and David who were also thanking her.

Each of them got one, but it was slightly different in color or design, but the meaning was the same.

"I had a little help figuring out what to get," Quinn admitted, "I didn't know if there was such a thing as a Jewish good luck charm, but these seemed pretty cool. I don't expect you to wear them; I figured you could put them on your keys or hang them in your car," she added.

Deborah held out her hand and Ethan handed her his and she flipped it over on the back and smiled, "it's even got the 'Traveler's Prayer' in Hebrew on the back. The car seems to be the best place for it," she admitted.

"What is the Traveler's Prayer?" Puck asked seeing the item in his mom's hand, "and I've never heard of a Hamsa before."

Deborah glanced at Ethan and then at David and Alan, who were all looking at her, so she continued, looking at the front again, "there are several names to it. 'Hand of God' (1), 'Hand of Miriam' (2) and 'Protecting Hand' (2) are other names that I know," she replied. "On the hand itself are other symbols of good luck and protection (1, 2, 3). The Hebrew in the middle is 'Chai' which is for long life and the fish on the fingers symbolize prosperity(3)." She flipped the hand over and looked at the back, " 'The Traveler's Prayer' is 'May it Your will, God, our God and the God of our Forefathers that you lead us towards peace and You will save us from any enemy and ambusher on our way and from all kinds of retributions, and You will bring us to our destination in peace.' (1)."

Quinn nodded, knowing it since she'd read it online when she found them in the first place, "I would have gotten you guys different ones, but I liked this design the best," she admitted, since she'd gotten all of them the same one.

"Picture time!" Rachel exclaimed hopping up and grabbing her camera.

Puck looked down at Abby in his arms, "but Abby is asleep," he tried to get out of it.

"Noah, we need family pictures," she put her hands on her hips, "and she can sleep in your arms."

He sighed, "fine, but why?" he whined.

"It's not every day that we are all together and not only will these be great for her baby book, but it will also be great for all of us to have pictures of our family together," she commented.

Everyone got up and Puck moved towards his parents, Ethan leaning towards him, "I think it's just easier to go with the flow with her," he smirked.

"Tell me about it. I swear she's got thousands of pictures already and Abby is only a month and a half old," he muttered.

Rachel had been planning out the pictures for a while now and really wanted to make sure she got all of them.

It took a little while, but Rachel managed to get a large collection of pictures; family pictures, extended family, Abby in some and not in others; most of them turned out to be the Berrys, Puckermans or a combination of all of them, some with Abby and her grandparents, Puck, Rachel and Abby together for one of the first few pictures taken of just the couple and their daughter; usually one of them was behind the camera, so they hardly got any of them together... Quinn, Finn and Carole got into a few and Rachel had someone take a picture of her, Puck, Finn, Quinn, Abby and Arin; the younger generation.

By the time the last picture was taken, Rachel had almost thirty pictures added her to camera and Abby seemed to know they were done because as soon as the last picture was taken, she started fussing. She'd been passed around between Puck and Rachel, her grandparents and Puck knew she probably needed a good long nap, so he grabbed a bottle on the way upstairs and fed her once in the nursery before changing her. She seemed to settle down, so he pressed a kiss to her forehead and laid her down in her crib, "take a nap, sweetie, it's been a long day for you," he murmured turning on her mobile and then grabbed the baby monitor and returned to his family outside.

...

Burt and Kurt arrived around three and the two settled into chairs and started talking with their friends, while Rachel, Quinn, Deborah and Carole went into the kitchen to get dinner going.

"Uh, you guys might want to look over the bar-b-q before you use it," Finn commented, knowing they had planned to use the grill for dinner.

"You don't trust that you put it together correctly?" Puck asked with a grin.

"Normally I'd give you a hard time about it, but considering that you're dealing with propane, no I don't trust myself," Finn admitted.

Ethan and Puck got up and tugged off the cover and the two went through the grill, double checking the screws and the tank before turning it on to get it ready for the girls to use. When the two took their seats again, Deborah and Carole took over making dinner, so Quinn and Rachel could go back outside.

As Rachel got close to the seat she'd been sitting in, her boyfriend grabbed her hand and tugged her down into his lap, "hey beautiful," he smiled at her.

Rachel blushed, "hello handsome," she replied, pressing a kiss to his lips.

He wrapped his arms around her back and held her against him, "so if this is what you come up with for Father's Day, what can I expect for my birthday?" He asked with a grin.

"I don't know. I guess that depends on what you want for your birthday and if you want to still take a trip before my birthday and after yours," she admitted seriously.

"I think that's a yes," Puck nodded, pressing a kiss to her lips, "and as for what I want... well it's a short list," he admitted.

Rachel turned a deep shade of red, "Noah!" She nudged him in the shoulder. "Our families are here."

"It's not like we didn't see that one coming," David commented with a grin.

"Daddy!" Rachel's blush seemed to get redder at her dad's response.

Puck kissed Rachel again and this time, one of the quiet ones spoke up, "what are you guys talking about?" Arin asked.

Ethan looked at his daughter, "when you're about thirty we'll tell you."

"Oh, so you are talking about Noah and Rachel having sex," she replied.

Ethan had been texting his brother and as Arin said that, his phone fell from his hands into his lap and he stared at her, "how in the world do you know that?"

"Because I know that's what parents do and they are parents," she shrugged, "you and mom do."

Ethan's head fell, his hand rubbing his forehead, "I can't believe you just said that," he muttered, his face getting red as he spoke.

"Oh my God!" Puck groaned, "I don't need to hear this! Arin, you're ten! You should not even be talking about sex!"

"I'm not talking about it. I just know where babies come from," she looked at them. "And I don't want one, at least for a long time."

"That's good to hear," Ethan admitted taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"Careful Arin, looks like you're about to give dad a heart attack," Puck laughed.

Ethan looked over to his son, "not something to joke about," he commented. "Your grandfather died of a heart attack. He was on a job site and he didn't make it to the hospital," he muttered.

The grin on Puck's face changed to a serious one, "oh, um, I didn't know that."

"That's the reason why my brother and I have tests done every six months," he explained, "not something we want to put our families through," he replied.

Arin got up from her chair and moved to sit on her dad's lap, "sorry."

"Don't be, baby girl, it was a long time ago, but I just don't want you guys going through what my mom, siblings and I went through," he replied hugging her tightly.

A light breeze blew through the backyard, totally out of the ordinary from the sunny day they had been having and Ethan had a feeling he knew what it was. His eyes met David's gaze and knew the psychologist had been itching to talk to him about his 'dad' issues, but they never had a chance or were not in the right place to. Ethan took a deep breath and looked up to the clear blue, cloudless sky, "I've never said it before, but it's time to start. I miss you, dad."

...

References (remove spaces to visit):

1. ( http :/ www . newthoughtkabbalah . com / largeprotection . htm#Key Chains )

2. ( http :/ www . body-soul-n-spirit . com / servlet / the-303 / Key-Chain-Hamsa-Kabbalah / Detail )

3. ( http :/ www . judaism . com / ? nt=aaAGep &etn=GDCEC )

(You can see a picture on my LJ's post of this part.)

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A/N4: Thanks to 'A&E SWAT: Detroit SWAT' Season 3, Episode 2, where Condor and Woody (Ethan and Mike in 'Out of the Blue') went to the gun range and explained their weapons while prepping for qualifications.

A/N5: 'Estrogen Ocean' borrowed from Jeff Foxworthy, who has a wife and daughters.

A/N6: Thanks to Bookgurrrl for the help and support on this and also for the suggestion of the Hamsa and WillDoXTNA for helping out, too! You girls rock!

A/N7: So RL kicked me in the rear! I finally got in to the doctor about 5 days ago and found out for the past few months I've been fighting a sinus infection; and I thought it was just allergies, but it wasn't. Feeling better slowly, so I'm still not writing too much all at once, but hopefully soon I'll be able to be more focused on writing. It's the only thing that keeps me sane, but with my head feeling like it's gonna pop, not very easy to write.

A/N8: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am trying to get back into replying, but again, it's tough right now, but I do read them all. I appreciate each and everyone of you that reads and reviews, so a huge thank you to all of you! You all rock!

A/N9: Follow me on Twitter: ( http :/ twitter . com / ej8302 )

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